News

VeBuIn (Head Office: 3F Tsukuba Kouken Building, 2-1-13 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0045; Representative Director: Bhavik Shah) announces an update to the receipt-reading AI-OCR feature of its next-generation workflow and expense management system, SmartFlow. By using the ChatGPT API, the update has improved input accuracy.

*According to our research as of April 10, 2023

SmartFlow Expense Management has upgraded its receipt-reading AI-OCR feature using the ChatGPT API.

■ Background
SmartFlow has developed and provided an AI-OCR feature to assist with data entry during expense reporting. When a receipt is photographed with a smartphone camera, or a scanned image is uploaded, the feature automatically reads fields such as the date, merchant name, and amount. It then stores the receipt image electronically in a format compliant with Japan's Electronic Books Preservation Act.

In actual operation, the feature could provide sufficient reading and input accuracy when the AI had already learned the receipt format. However, accuracy tended to decline substantially for formats it had not learned. Avoiding this required a user company to submit a request each time so that our developers could train the system on the new format. Because we do not provide a data-entry service, this cycle did not function sufficiently, and the conventional AI's reading and input accuracy did not improve enough.

By using the ChatGPT API, the feature can now handle receipts in a wide variety of formats and read them automatically with high accuracy, even when the format has not been learned in advance.


■ Improvements in reading accuracy

This update resolves an issue with the previous AI-OCR feature by enabling highly accurate automatic reading of receipts in previously unlearned formats, thereby supporting a smoother expense application process.

*Reading and input accuracy for formats read for the first time　

*Cases that reduce reading and input accuracy (cases that could not be read)
• Cases where a receipt is in such poor condition that even a person cannot read the text
• Cases where an image is uploaded in a different orientation from the specified one, such as diagonally or sideways
• Cases where 1 image contains multiple receipts
• Cases where a receipt is handwritten
→ We will address the cases above through feature improvements and raise reading and input accuracy to a level that does not hinder actual operations.


■ Data read by ChatGPT
Data read from receipts is neither used to train the third-party ChatGPT AI nor stored by ChatGPT. OpenAI's data usage policy also explicitly states that data provided through API integrations is not used to train ChatGPT.
SmartFlow also allows customers to disable ChatGPT if they do not want to use it for AI-OCR, so they can use the SmartFlow expense management feature with confidence.


■ Example of using SmartFlow Expense Management (applicant)
1. Photograph a receipt in the app
2. AI automatically reads the required information
3. Review the content, enter only the minimum required fields such as explanatory notes, and submit!

SmartFlow greatly reduces the effort required for data entry by using highly accurate AI powered by ChatGPT. It is also certified by JIIMA (Japan Image and Information Management Association) as a product compliant with the Electronic Books Preservation Act, so photographed images can be used directly as official company evidence. There is therefore no need to send or store receipts separately from entering them in SmartFlow.
 

You can see how the feature actually works at the link below.
https://app.storylane.io/share/x1avfnioangq

■ Future plans
We plan to release a ChatGPT-powered AI-OCR feature for reading invoices, as well as receipts, in the near future. Invoices have an even wider variety of formats, so using ChatGPT offers substantial benefits in improving reading and input accuracy.

SmartFlow aims to deliver industry-leading functionality at industry-low pricing and will continue accelerating its evolution. We will keep updating its features to help more user companies automate and visualize reporting, application, and expense management operations while ensuring compliance.

■ Pricing
The AI-OCR feature is an additional SmartFlow Expense Management feature and can be used without a separate optional contract.
Customers with a SmartFlow Expense Management contract can use the feature above free of charge, with no additional optional contract required.

(For reference)
SmartFlow plans
• Workflow plan: ¥300 (excluding tax) per user/month
• Expense management plan: ¥300 (excluding tax) per user/month
• Both plans together: ¥500 (excluding tax) per user/month

■ About SmartFlow Expense Management
SmartFlow Expense Management can digitize employee-paid expense reimbursement, transportation expense reimbursement, and invoice payment requests. Features needed for compliance with current regulations, including Japan's invoice system and Electronic Books Preservation Act, and advanced capabilities such as AI-OCR receipt/invoice reading and automatic transportation fare calculation are included as standard and can be used without a separate optional contract.

SmartFlow Expense Management: https://smartflow.vebuin.com/jp/expense/
SmartFlow Workflow: https://smartflow.vebuin.com/jp/

■ VeBuIn Company Overview
Company name: VeBuIn
Address: 3F Tsukuba Kouken Building, 2-1-13 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki
Representative: Bhavik Shah
Established: April 2015
URL：https://vebuin.com/